News

Rescue boats find welcoming new homes

Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service and Tolaga Bay Surf Life
Saving Club will each receive a brand new IRB from BP through the
Vote for a Boat online competition.

BP offered every club around the country two chances to win a brand
new IRB worth over $20,000 and the community was encouraged to vote
for their favourite club.

As the club with the highest number of community votes as of
midnight on March 31, Muriwai automatically won the first boat. The
remaining 72 clubs were put into a random draw for an equal chance
to win. Tolaga Bay was announced live on the TVNZ Breakfast show
this morning as the winner of the second boat.

Muriwai volunteer lifeguard and IRB instructor Chris Butt say the
new IRB will allow the club to turn over some of its older gear.
"We use IRBs for over 60 percent of our rescues so it's a vital
tool for us to use on the beach," he says.

Tolaga Bay Surf Life Saving Club Captain Kerehama Blackman says
it's not just the club that's excited but the entire town. "That
shows you how much the club means to the community. Everyone is
stoked and the kids are wrapped they will have a new IRB to train
on," he says.

Everyone who voted in the competition also went into the draw to
win a $1000 gift card from BP. This was awarded to Ben Morgan who
voted for Waimarama Surf Life Saving Club.

Surf Life Saving's familiar orange IRBs are an essential part of
lifeguard's rescue equipment, allowing them to pull hundreds of
troubled swimmers from the water every year.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand CEO Paul Dalton says IRBs can often be
the difference between life and death. "These boats really are an
essential part of our lifesaving armoury. Once someone's in trouble
in the water, we know we only have about three minutes to get to
them. Our IRBs get our lifeguards out beyond the waves and to their
rescue incredibly quickly," he says.

"BP has been supporting us for 46 years, allowing us to acquire
around 250 boats that patrol our coastline. Thanks to their
support, we now have the most advanced rescue fleet in the
world."

BP NZ Managing Director Matt Elliot says "As a small island nation,
many Kiwis grow up at the beach and in the water, but the ocean is
unpredictable and can be treacherous. At BP, we know how important
it is to have an organisation like Surf Life Saving New Zealand
patrolling the beaches and we're very proud of our partnership with
them. It feels good to know that we're part of something that helps
keep so many New Zealanders safe."

Every summer, around 3,000 volunteer lifeguards across 73 clubs
nationwide give over 200,000 hours of their time patrolling our
beaches and helping to keep New Zealand beach-goers safe. So far
this season, lifeguards across the country have already saved over
1,500 lives.

Muriwai SLSC is announced as
winners of the community vote in the BP IRB Giveaway on TVNZ
Breakfast.
From left: hosts Rawdon Christie and Toni Street, BP's Jonty
Mills, and Muriwai SLSC member Chris Butt.